With these alternatives, criminal justice officials realize these programs are less expensive to operate versus building new prisons because many of the community correction programs…
Someone can be affected by their surroundings, whether it is the community, they live in or peer pressure. In addition, someone’s genetics can have an influence on his or her behaviors. That person could suffer from a mental illness that causes irrational behaviors. There are also the individuals that just want to do it on their own free will (Schmalleger, 2011, p.…
Instead of sentencing these individuals to jail alternative sentencing options are suggested. This includes probation, community service, residential treatment, as well as other options that don’t include jail time for lesser offenses.…
1. Examine the underlying historical and economic reasons as to why the quest for alternatives to incarcerating offenders in jails and prisons. 2. Describe three alternatives to incarceration that juvenile courts currently use. 3.…
Crime is a very fragile word that could be portrayed into many different understandings. The definition of a crime; According to "Dictionary.com" (2014), " is an action or an instance of negligence that is deemed injurious to the public welfare or morals or to the interests of the state, and that is legally prohibited" (Noun 1.) Law means having a set of rules and regulations in which communities and society as a whole abide by. Crime can be understood as acting against those laws (rules) that have a punishment in return for those actions. There are two models that are most commonly used by society to determine whether certain acts…
Initially, I thought the only alternatives were changing the laws, expanding mental healthcare and rehabilitation. My research showed that while these were a good start to the problem, there are other options available as well. It was a real eye opener for me to learn the tremendous impact that mandatory sentencing guidelines has on defendants. Prosecutors determine how a person is going to be charged, and if convicted the judge is bound by mandatory sentencing guidelines. My research opened my eyes to the benefits of criminal corporal punishment and the positive effects it could have on deterring crime. I learned that the prisoner on prisoner violence that plagues most prisons is attributed to the overcrowding problem. Overcrowded prison cells and a lack of rehabilitation services are fueling the violence in…
Not only has mass incarceration contributed to the depletion of economic resources, but it has also not been proven as an effective means of lowering crime rates. Our current prison system is designed to spend massive amounts of money on warehousing and punishing criminal to then just place them back into society without any of the tools needed to become a constructive member of society, thus resulting in criminal behavior to reoccur. Multiple studies conducted have manifested that “rehabilitation programs, education, therapy, and vocational training have a profound effect on not only bettering the inmate as an overall individual, but on society as well” (….) because these offenders can now become productive citizens that can add to the community.…
within the court of public opinion, other measures will most certainly be hindered if not…
When thinking of how America is leading the world the number of incarcerated citizens per capita does not come to mind. America is considered to be the greatest country in the world. It is known for its fight for freedom and its triumph in maintaining it. Because of this many Americans take pride in the country they have been apart of shaping just as they should. However, in recent years problems have arisen that have taken some of its beauty away. One of those is the shocking amount of people who are imprisoned. There are several causes for the sudden overpopulation in Americas jails but a problem like this is not only one that is embarrassing to our country but is also one that could possibly be eased with a few minor changes to the United States jail system. In order for there to be a positive change incarceration must be brought to light as an issue instead of being ignored and neglected as it has been in the past.…
Prison overcrowding has become a major problem in the United States. As per, Issues and Controversies, “The United States has only 5 percent of the world’s population, but holds 25 percent of the world’s prisoners”. (“Mandatory Minimum”) Housing the growing prison population is putting a strain on the federal government’s budget, costing roughly $80 billion a year. (“Mandatory Minimum”) Crime rates are down, but prison populations are a growing concern. In light of these facts, lawmakers need to explore ways of reducing crime that does not involve incarceration, but still protects society. What alternatives to incarceration should be considered and why?…
Within America’s prison system there lies many issues. Although we know prisons have become a permanent part of America’s justice system and are needed to maintain a healthy functioning society. The big picture is this incarceration,in the manner in which the American system is managing it may be causing more harm than rehabilitation. As of today the incarcerated population is at least four and a half times larger than back in 1980. At a population of approximately 2.2 million people in the United States behind bars the need for change becomes apparent due to the high costs of keeping all of these individuals in prison and also having an incarceration rate higher than any other country in the world.…
An abundance of non-traditional justice programs have been implemented throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, New Zealand, Africa and Australia. Many are considered restorative in nature; however, these programs may not fully conform to restorative principles. The scope of this paper will be on those programs that have adopted the aforementioned principles. That is to say, the empirical results that are discussed in this section are from programs that attempt to restore the relationship between the victim, the community and the offender and attempt to repair the harm caused by crime.…
The U.S. prison system was designed for a couple of reasons. First to keep cruel people off the streets and to punish people who have committed a crime. Next is Justice for the victims that have been violated, also revenge. Finally is to detest other crimes by setting sentence minimums and to rehabilitate people so they will come out a better person. It has changed a lot in the past 30 years due to the drug epidemic. 60% of people incarcerated are there for non-violent crimes. America is actually safer now then it was 30 years ago. For the first time more than one in 100 American adults are locked up. One in 36 Hispanic men are incarcerated along with one in 15 blacks. One in 355 white women along with one in 100 black women.…
“The first five Criminal Justice Acts of the century were spaced out over nearly 50 years, from 1925 to 1972, whereas the last five have come in less than 20 years since 1972 and the current Act is the third in only five years” (Davies, et al., 2010:29). There have been many important legislative changes affecting the criminal justice system since the 1990s. Many of these provided numerous reforms to sentencing, creating a systematic process. There are three legislative changes that could be considered the most significant to the criminal justice system today: the Criminal Justice Act 1991, the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, and the Criminal Justice Act 2003.…
The American Prison system is home to many of the nations criminals. The ever-growing population is due in part to incarceration, where an alternate punishment would suffice. The sustenance of the inmates is drawn directly of of society's pocket, in the form of taxes. I believe that we, as a nation, should focus on providing more sensible, economical ways for criminals to pay off their debt to the community.…